The prior art contains many examples of swivels by means of which hooks, lures, minnows, and other forms of bait may be secured to a fishing line in such manner as to permit the bait to rotate during its movement through the water without causing undesirable twisting of the fishing line. The known swivels conventionally comprise a body composed of two or more relatively rotatable parts formed of a corrosion resistant material, such as brass, and provided at their opposite ends with eyes for attachment to the line and tackle element.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,539 discloses an all plastic swivel construction having snapped together components. The swivel includes a body having bifurcated cavities at its ends in which the spindles of a pair of connecting members are accommodated. Each cavity also accommodates a journal snapped into engagement with the body member and supporting the spindles for rotation in the cavity. A retainer bushing is provided on each spindle to limit the axial movement of the connector members. The journal and retainer pairs have confronting bearing surfaces that are engageable when the swivel is placed under tension. The bearing surface of the retainer is provided with hemispherical projections for making point contact with the opposed bearing face of the journal.
Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention contributes an improvement in the performance of the patented construction and a reduction in its manufacture cost.